Casual Observation
by Jessica237
Summary: [SC][Preseason one] Sometimes the deepest perceptions can be gained simply through casual observation.
1. One

**A/N:** So I've read "Horatio and Calleigh meet for the first time" fics, I've written an "Eric and Calleigh meet for the first time" ficlet, but you know, I don't think I've ever seen a fic where Speed and Calleigh met for the first time. Or maybe I just haven't been a fan of the pairing long enough to fully dig through the archive yet. Anyway, that's what this is, but it's more than just that. It's a three-parter (which I should be able to actually finish without getting _too_ irritated with it, haha), and really it's quite short. So. Enjoy, I guess. Maybe. Usual disclaimers and all that; nothing is mine, etc. :)

* * *

He knew it just had to be a bad sign. 

Under the right circumstances, Tim could be a patient person. But like any other normal person, after being kept waiting for any length of time, his patience would start to disappear.

But this time, curiosity won out over impatience, to his slight dismay.

It was that curiosity that kept him waiting in the middle of the airport for five and a half hours.

He knew it was a bad sign. He'd waited almost six hours for her…and he didn't even know her yet. It was the curiosity; it had to be. Like everyone else in the lab, Tim was curious about the new girl from New Orleans. It wasn't every day that one of the top ballistics experts in the country was a woman, and it certainly wasn't everyday that she was transferring to Miami. There'd been talk around the lab, about this new "Bullet Girl," as she was called, and even though Tim generally tried not to pay attention to what goes around the lab, he'd heard a fair bit about her, and he had to admit; he was intrigued.

Surprising even himself, Tim had jumped at the chance to meet her at the airport. Horatio, who'd originally been supposed to meet her, had an emergency come up at the last minute, and Tim had volunteered to take his place, before he'd even known what he was saying. Even Horatio had been startled at his sudden enthusiasm, but, being in a hurry, he hadn't questioned him.

And so, Tim found himself sitting in the middle of the crowded airport, waiting hours for a woman he'd never even met.

It sounded crazy even to him.

Still, he waited, glancing occasionally at the overcast sky outside as watched the arrivals screen, seeing the arrival time on her flight being pushed farther and farther back, and he still waited, surprisingly enough with only minimal annoyance. Even though there were a hundred other places he'd rather be at the moment, somehow he stayed right where he was. He smirked to himself; the phrase 'good things come to those who wait' flashing blindingly through his mind.

Eventually his waiting paid off, and he moved slowly toward the gate, looking through the crowd of disgruntled passengers.

His eyes landed on her almost immediately.

He knew it was a bad sign when his breath caught in his throat and he could do nothing but stare. She'd been in his line of sight for less than a minute, and already Tim knew it was going to be hard working alongside her from now on. Standing back, he allowed his eyes to scan over her appreciatively, watching as she spun around, obviously looking for someone. But Tim wasn't ready to let himself be found yet. Watching her, he found himself mesmerized by the way her long golden hair cascaded down her back, held back from her eyes by the sunglasses perched atop her head.

He had the sudden urge to thread his fingers through that long blonde hair, feeling the silky strands flow softly between them. Blinking, he shook his head, wondering where on earth that urge had come from. Deciding it was safer to make his way to her than to stand around and stare for the rest of the evening, Tim leisurely began moving toward her.

She stood out from the irritated crowd around her, making an effort to smile and greet people at random. Or maybe she didn't have to make the effort; maybe that kind of thing just came naturally to her.

_Like her beauty_. Tim stopped abruptly and shook his head, reminding himself once again that he didn't even know this woman.

He watched her for a moment longer, watching her scan the crowd, a slight bit of confusion crossing her features. Again he moved toward her, knowing she was looking for Horatio. Tim smirked slightly, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed.

Her back was to him when he finally made it to her. "Bullet Girl, huh?" he asked quietly, smirking again, knowing he startled her.

She spun around to him, her eyes blinking in confusion. Her bright green eyes. Tim was certain he'd never met anybody with eyes as bright, as intense as hers. Biting the inside of his cheek, Tim crossed his arms, forcing himself to stay in the present. Already was he losing himself in her eyes, and he'd only spoken three words to her.

One thing was certain - work was going to be _impossible._

She smiled brightly, and Tim felt a fluttering in his chest; in his stomach. _What the hell?_

"Yeah, that's me," she replied in her sweet, southern accent. "Bullet Girl," she added with a giggle. "I'm Calleigh Duquesne," she said cheerfully, extending her hand to Tim, her eyes searching him puzzledly. "And you're…not Horatio Caine."

Tim smirked, shaking her hand. "Disappointed?"

Quickly she shook her head. "No, not at all…it's just I was expecting him, and obviously he's not here, instead it's you, and I don't know or recognize you and I was starting to wonder if something had come up or if my flight delay had affected anything and I was going to have to find my way around Miami myself which would be the worst idea ever because I'm horrible with directions."

Tim stared at her. "Do you…always do that?"

"Do what?"

"That little rambley-thing you just did."

Closing her eyes, Calleigh blushed. "I'm sorry," she apologized embarrassedly. "I've been told I ramble when I'm nervous. I'm sorry, uh…I still don't know who you are," she said, tilting her head.

Tim smirked. "Speed."

"Uh, Speed?"

"Yep. So where's your luggage?"

"Baggage claim four," Calleigh replied, pointing. Tim nodded, and they began to walk that way. "Your name is Speed," she repeated.

"Yeah. I think we've established that," Tim replied, lifting his brow as they walked. "Is there a problem?"

"Surely your first name isn't Speed."

"You can't prove it isn't."

Calleigh tilted her head. "Really? What if I pulled your wallet out of your pocket and found your driver's license?"

"That would only prove that you wanted to touch my ass," Tim deadpanned, grinning inwardly at the look on Calleigh's face.

"Oh my God. And I have to work with you?" Calleigh asked incredulously. She went to pull her luggage from the conveyor belt, stopping in surprise when Tim got it for her. "I could've gotten that."

He smirked. "I know. I'm just getting a head start on getting you in my debt. You know, just so I can take you up on it later."

Calleigh shook her head, her lips curving upward despite her slight annoyance. "Are you always this antagonistic? This arrogant?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He smirked. "Come on, you know you find it endearing."

Calleigh snorted. "Endearing. Right."

"You know you love it," Tim replied smugly, holding the door for her as they walked out into the sunlight. "So…"

Calleigh glanced at him. "So what?"

"You're from New Orleans, right?"

Calleigh gave him a suspicious look, not quite sure where he was going with this. "Yeah…so?"

"You ever do Mardi Gras?" he asked conversationally.

Calleigh stopped for a moment, staring at his back as he continued walking. "I still don't even know your _name._ I am not going to dignify that question with a response," she replied matter-of-factly, falling back into step next to him.

He grinned. "That's a yes."

Calleigh put her hands on her hips, gaping. "That was not a yes! That was a refusal to answer the question!"

"Which you would've had no problem answering if the answer were a simple 'no.'"

Opening her mouth to retort, Calleigh found herself at a loss for words. Instead, she simply glared at his back, still seeing the smug grin on his face though his back was to her. Shaking her head, she continued walking, knowing that if he was anything like this at work, things were sure to be pretty interesting.

Still, she couldn't deny that it was, well, nice to have somebody that felt comfortable with teasing banter like this. Working in New Orleans, things had gotten fairly boring; all her coworkers were serious all the time. Calleigh grinned; finally it seemed there was someone who could give her a run for her money in the teasing retaliation department. Someone who would be fun to argue with.

Within moments, Tim was pulling out a set of keys and unlocking a car. Calleigh stood, an amused grin on her face as she watched him pop the trunk. "Somehow, this isn't the car I pictured you having."

Tim scowled. "That's because this isn't my car. I borrowed a friend's so I could come pick you up."

"Why'd you have to borrow a car?"

"Because I don't have one," Tim replied, catching her confused look. He grinned. "Don't need one," he replied in answer to her unasked question. "All I need is my yellow Ducati."

"You have a motorcycle?"

"My pride and joy," he said proudly, his eyes narrowing as Calleigh snickered. "You're just jealous, that's all."

"Yeah. Jealous. You'll have to forgive me for liking to have four doors, airbags, and a fair amount of steel between me and everything else on the road."

Tim shook his head in disbelief. "No sense of adventure," he said sadly, a teasing glint in his eyes. "You'd think a girl who plays with guns for a living would at least understand the joys of racing down the highway at insane speeds."

Calleigh smiled. "What can I say? My days of walking on the wild side ended years ago." She pursed her lips for a moment; she couldn't help but be intrigued. "But maybe one day you could give me a ride, huh? Help me relive those days."

He snickered, slightly shaking his head as he placed her luggage in the back of the car. He closed the trunk, then stood for a moment, leaning against the side of the car, looking appraisingly over Calleigh. "Tim."

"…I'm sorry?" Calleigh asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"My name. Tim. Tim Speedle."

Calleigh nodded, finally able to make the connection with his nickname. "So why do people call you Speed?"

He shrugged in response. "Why not? It sounds sexier than Tim," he said with a wink. He grinned devilishly, and Calleigh braced herself. "So, uh, I told you my name. Now you gotta answer the question I asked you earlier," he said, knowing she knew exactly what question he was talking about.

Calleigh's cheeks tinted slightly, though the rest of her face remained defiant. "Maybe," she muttered, ignoring the gleeful grin that spread across Tim's face. "And that's as much of an answer as you're getting."

Tim smirked, walking around to the driver side door. "I'm sure I'll get the whole story out of you someday," he teased, getting in the car.

Calleigh climbed in beside him, momentarily checking her hair in the mirror. "Yeah, that's assuming there actually is a story there," she said.

Tim watched her for a moment. "Oh, I know there's a story there. It's just getting it out of you that's gonna be the hard part." He gave her a wink as he started the car.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Yeah, good luck with that," she replied, reaching up with her left hand to push her sunglasses over her eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Tim noticed something glimmer in the sunlight; something on her hand.

He knew it was a bad sign when seeing that little piece of jewelry invoked in him one of the worst feelings he'd ever felt. Tim winced as the sting of rejection set in; he'd barely had a full conversation with this woman, and already he was feeling rejected, let down.

"So you're engaged." It was a statement, not a question.

Calleigh looked at him. "I've known you all of twenty minutes," she drawled. "How'd you know that?"

Tim shrugged. "Casual observation," he muttered, directing his eyes to her ring finger.

"Oh." She laughed. "I guess that does sort of give it away, huh?" She fidgeted with the ring for a moment, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

She wasn't the only one.


	2. Two

It'd been months since that day, and not much had changed.

Tim still felt that same, inevitable jealousy; that same, inexplicable feeling of rejection whenever he saw the ring on her finger. He still teased her good-naturedly about anything and everything, though sometimes with a hint of bitterness in his voice. But Calleigh had gotten used to that; she'd learned not to take it personally. In fact, it concerned her when the bitterness _wasn't_ in his tone. She'd just become used to his ever-present sarcasm.

Despite her earlier reservations about working so closely with someone the polar opposite of herself, Calleigh and Tim had become a great team. Maybe it was because they _were_ completely different from each other. Each of them held what the other lacked. They evened each other out. Even Horatio had been amazed at just how well they worked together.

So of course, he'd taken to pairing the two of them together as often as possible.

Sure, it was great from a case-oriented point of view, but from a personal standpoint, it was driving Tim crazy. All the closeness, all the tension.

Well, _he_ felt the tension. Calleigh seemed to be perfectly fine with the entire situation. But then again, she was engaged. Of course she wasn't going to feel the least bit awkward about working with him.

Tim scowled at nothing in particular as he looked through the photos from their latest crime scene. It was the only thing he could do at the moment while he waited for his results to pop out of the mass spec. Well, that, and wonder what Calleigh was up to.

His mind drifted back to earlier that morning at the crime scene. As usual, he'd been working with Calleigh, and he couldn't help notice that she'd seemed a little different that morning. He'd had four of his sarcastic comments go unanswered by one of her snappy retorts. That was odd. Tim had gotten quite used to her comebacks; they made it all the more fun to tease her. But she'd been quiet this morning. She didn't seem upset or anything, just quiet. Tim had rolled his eyes and assumed she was just tired; after all, her fiancé had been in town for the last couple of days. And since Tim certainly didn't want to hear any details of that, he simply gave up trying to talk to her, focusing solely on the case.

Still, her sudden change in demeanor bothered him. It was the first time since he'd met her that she hadn't been brighter than sunshine. And while Tim swore her perpetual optimism annoyed him to death, he couldn't deny that now that it had faded slightly, he missed it. She still bore that sunny exterior, but it was only skin-deep. He could tell she was troubled underneath.

The beeping of the mass spec brought him out of his thoughts, and Tim sauntered over to it, snatching up the results with more force than was actually needed. Scowling again, he tossed the paper to the side, the results not yielding any new information. "Tell me something I don't already know," he grumbled, rubbing his temples.

"Talking to yourself again?"

Startled, Tim glanced up, seeing Calleigh in the doorway. "I wasn't talking to myself," he said defensively, glaring over at the mass spec. "I was talking to that useless machine."

Calleigh crossed her arms, pretending to look concerned. "I'm not sure which is worse; talking to yourself, or talking to inanimate objects."

Tim smirked. "Yeah. Says you who has entire conversations with guns and bullets."

"Oh, hush," Calleigh said with a grin, for lack of a better retort. She walked the rest of the way into the room, the steady clack of her heels on the floor echoing slightly. Tim snickered, still unable to figure out how in the world Calleigh found those things comfortable.

Seconds later, he felt her perch herself on the stool next to him, watching him intently as she clasped her hands on her lap. "So what's the story?" she asked, nodding toward the case photos.

Tim sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I really haven't been able to figure that out yet," he replied defeatedly. He glanced over at Calleigh, his eyes lingering a bit on her bare hands. They'd been covered by gloves almost all morning, hidden from view.

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out," Calleigh replied, oblivious to where Tim's attention had landed. She turned back to the collection of photos, pursing her lips as she stared at them. Tim, meanwhile, continued to stare at her hands, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Uh, where's your ring?" he asked bluntly, the void on her ring finger very noticeable to him. Tim couldn't lie; he'd looked at her left hand everyday, hoping that just maybe her ring would disappear.

He just never really expected it to actually disappear.

Startled by his question, Calleigh looked down, lifting her hand slightly. "Oh. It's…" she sighed, different lies running through her mind. She was halfway tempted to tell him she'd left it on the vanity this morning, or perhaps on the kitchen counter, but she quickly killed that train of thought. Looking up at him, she smiled. "It's in Louisiana."

Tim blinked. "Louisiana?"

Calleigh chuckled. "Yeah, Louisiana." Seeing the confusion still written on his face, she clarified. "With Michael."

"Your fiancé?"

"Ex-fiancé."

"Ex-fiancé?"

Calleigh stared at him, a tiny giggle escaping her throat. "That's what I just said."

Tim looked down, staring perhaps a little too intensely at the trace sample in front of him. "Oh. Well. I'm sorry."

Calleigh shrugged, reaching up to slide her hair behind her ears. The motion hadn't gone unnoticed by Tim; he knew that was one of her many nervous reactions. Simply from watching her over the last couple of months, he also knew that she also tended to fidget with her bracelet or her now missing ring when she was nervous. And then there was her rambling, which still amused Tim to no end. But by far the reaction that antagonized him the most was when she would nibble at her lower lip. That drove him crazy.

Her reply pulled him out of his thoughts and prompted him to glance back up at her, lifting an eyebrow and wondering just how serious she was. "I'm not."

"Why not? You were engaged to him for over a year, weren't you?"

"Fourteen months, yeah." She sighed, and Tim couldn't help but flinch at the fleeting sadness that crossed her features. "I should've known that my coming down here was the beginning of the end."

Pushing aside what he was working on, Tim turned on his stool, facing her completely. "The beginning of the end?"

"Tim, that's like the third time in the past ten minutes that you've simply repeated what I said," Calleigh said, amused. "I get the impression that this surprised you more than it did me," she added with a chuckle.

Tim stared at her. "Calleigh, you were engaged when you moved down here, and now, suddenly you're not anymore. That is a bit...surprising, I guess."

"Well, if you didn't expect it, then yeah." She smiled at him, looking into his dark, questioning eyes. She sighed. "I knew it was over the day I stepped into my boss's office and met Horatio Caine for the first time," she said, purposely inflecting a wistful tone into her voice, just to play with Tim's reaction.

It had the desired effect. Tim gaped at her, his eyes widening. "What does Horatio have to do with any of this?" he asked, slightly suspicious. The way she'd spoken had almost implied…no, he wouldn't go there. Finding out she was engaged was bad enough, but he didn't want to think about the possibility of that engagement ending because she'd fallen for a certain red-headed lieutenant.

Because that _really_ would've been far too much.

Calleigh laughed. "I was joking, Tim! It's nothing like that," she said, teasingly swatting his arm. "I didn't fall madly in love with the man the first time I saw him or anything." Her laughter died down, but her eyes retained that playful sparkle that always accompanied her laugh. "I was still undecided on whether I wanted to come here or stay in New Orleans. And I was working one day, and out of the blue, my boss called me to the office, and there Horatio was. It was like an impromptu interview; as soon as we were done talking, he told me the job was mine if I wanted it. And somehow, my mind was made up then." She shrugged. "I don't know why. They say first impressions are everything, and I guess from the first impression I got from Horatio, I felt it'd be a lot calmer working under him than where I'd been working. I knew the moment I left that office that I was coming to Miami."

She paused, her eyes dropping to the floor as she shifted a bit on her stool. "Michael never thought I'd actually go through with it, though."

"He didn't think you were serious?"

Calleigh shook her head. "He was convinced that I was happy in New Orleans; that I had everything I needed there and that I didn't need to come here." She chuckled bitterly. "He only made that fact abundantly clear to me everyday until I left."

"I don't know why I tried to make the long distance engagement work. I knew he wasn't going to drop everything to come to Miami for me and start over completely. And I think eventually he figured out that I was serious; that I was staying in Miami." She exhaled deeply, glancing back up at Tim. "And it just fell apart from there. He met someone new, and I..."

"You what?" Tim asked, curious.

_And I did the same. _Calleigh hesitated. "Nothing," she replied after a moment, shaking her head. "Nothing."

Tim lifted an eyebrow, not fully believing her. He was still getting to know her, but he knew Calleigh well enough by now to know when she was uncomfortable or was only being half-truthful. This was one of those times, and Tim couldn't figure out why.

Suddenly she shook her head, giggling slightly. "Listen to me," she said, again sliding her hair behind her ears. "Here I am, telling you all this, and it's probably the last thing you care about."

He shook his head, giving her a rare but genuine smile. "Calleigh; if you ever have something you need or want to talk about, anything at all," he paused, shrugging. "I'm here, okay?" He smirked. "I may mock you or lace everything I say with one hundred percent sarcasm, but I'll still listen."

She laughed again, rolling her eyes. It was easily one of the things she loved most about him; she could have a serious conversation with the man, but his sarcasm kept it from becoming too personal for her. His teasing remarks kept things on comfortable ground. For the first time in a long time, Calleigh actually had someone she felt comfortable talking to.

She nodded slowly as her laughter faded, giving him a smile of her own. "Thanks, Tim," she said softly. With a sigh, she slid off the stool, starting in the direction of the door. "I should get back to work. I'll be in ballistics if you find anything."

"Alright." He turned back to his current task, but found his mind even more cluttered than before. There was no way he could concentrate on this right now. Tim needed a break.

He needed a distraction, and he knew someone else that could use one as well.

Sliding his hand into his pocket, he gently jiggled his keys in his hand as an idea struck him. Deciding they both needed to get out of the lab for a bit, he jumped up from his stool and hurried out the door, catching up and stepping around in front of Calleigh. He grinned, holding up the key to the Ducati.

"Calleigh? You wanna go for a ride?"


	3. Three

Calleigh Duquesne. The name was synonymous with many things, including lacking fear. Fear just wasn't something anyone ever saw in her; she really wasn't afraid of anything. Except ants, of course, but that was a whole different story. Other than that, she could honestly say there wasn't a lot she was afraid of.

She'd never _pretended_ to be afraid of anything either.

Until now. It was really just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

She'd had a few boyfriends in the past who'd had motorcycles. Riding on the back of one with someone wasn't really a new thing to her. In fact, it was something she loved. It was the last thing she would've been afraid of.

But if Calleigh _pretended_ to be afraid, it meant she could wrap her arms around his waist as tightly as she wanted. It meant that as they sped down the highway on the back of the bike, she could pull her body as close to his as she wanted, blaming it on fear.

It also made her feel better about doing it. After all, she had only just become a single woman once again; she wasn't supposed to feel like this again yet. She was supposed to be sad, pensive. She'd been engaged to Michael for over a year; she wasn't supposed to simply be okay with not being with him anymore. She was supposed to feel like being alone; she wasn't supposed to feel like she couldn't keep her hands off of Tim Speedle.

But she did, and pretending to be afraid of riding on the Ducati gave her a valid reason to be as close to him as she possibly could.

She pretended to be afraid. But honestly? She couldn't deny that she was having the time of her life on the back of this motorcycle with Tim.

"You okay back there?"

Calleigh grinned; she was more than okay. But he didn't exactly need to know that, so she settled on a simple, "Yeah, I'm good."

Tim smirked, casting his eyes downward, to her hands looped around his waist. "Well, I'm glad _you_ are, because I seem to be having trouble breathing," he teased.

Calleigh laughed it off, though she could feel her cheeks tinting just slightly. "Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I'm just a tiny bit scared," she said easily…perhaps a little _too_ easily. With a giggle, she loosened her grip on his waist.

But only a little.

Tim snickered. "Scared; yeah right," he muttered to himself in amusement. He hadn't forgotten the way her eyes had lit up that first day he met her, when he'd mentioned having a bike to her. She'd played it off, saying her days of adventuring were long over, but she couldn't hide that sparkle in her eyes.

She wasn't fooling anybody.

But Tim played along, because really, having her arms wrapped tightly around his waist was not the worst thing in the world.

Tim generally didn't like to give other people rides on his bike, because it was _his_ escape, not theirs. Taking a long drive on the Ducati was one of the few things he could do by himself. It was how he dealt with things; when everything became too much, he'd hop on the Ducati and just drive. Alone. By himself. He wasn't too keen on the idea of someone riding behind him; it was far too close for him to be comfortable.

But with Calleigh, he didn't feel that way. Having her behind him, holding on to him didn't bother him in the slightest. And as for the whole 'riding the bike to be alone' thing? He was certain his affinity for that had flown out the window when he'd met Calleigh.

Still, despite the comfort he found from having her with him, he was still startled when quite a while later he came to a stop sign, only to hear Calleigh's voice right by his ear.

"Hey, can we get ice cream?" she asked excitedly.

"Ice cream?" he asked with a snicker.

She grinned. "Yeah, you know, the frozen stuff you get on hot, summer days? You put it in a cone and eat it."

"Yeah, Calleigh, I know what ice cream is."

Calleigh giggled, and Tim was surprised he managed to keep the Ducati upright. If she only knew what her giggle did to him.

Well. If she did know, she'd probably do it more, just to antagonize him.

"You sounded kinda confused there, Tim," she teased, "and I thought, hmm, maybe they don't have ice cream back where you're from."

" Calleigh. I think they have ice cream everywhere." He smirked. "I was just confused because you sounded so excited over it. Like you're eight."

Calleigh pouted. "Maybe I'm really just a kid at heart. We don't all have to be old and bitter like you," she replied teasingly.

"It's called 'realistic.'"

"Bitter."

"See? Name-calling. You _are_ eight." He snickered, feeling her poke him in the side in retaliation. Still, he couldn't deny that, after a day like today, something sweet would do them both good, even though the kind of sweet that Calleigh wanted was completely different from the kind of sweet that Tim wanted, but he wouldn't admit that to her. Not yet, at least.

For the time being, he'd just have to settle for ice cream. Within moments, he'd wildly but carefully maneuvered the bike through the traffic, surely giving Calleigh a thrill in the process. He pulled the bike off into a small parking lot, recalling a small snack bar along the boardwalk from where he'd once gotten ice cream. In his opinion, the ice cream from that little shop was far better than the ice cream from any of the bigger chain stores.

And since it was better, it was where he was taking Calleigh. Calleigh deserved the best.

"Where are we going?" Calleigh asked, slipping off of the bike first. Tim frowned; she wasn't supposed to do that. She was supposed to wait for him to get off first, so he could give her his hand and help her down. A tad disappointed, he climbed off the bike, removing his helmet. He watched Calleigh remove hers and shake her head, shaking her hair back. Tim caught her eye, the teasing sparkle in her bright green eyes driving him wild. Embarrassed, he glanced away; she'd caught him looking.

Clearing his throat, he pointed in the direction of the little shop. "You said you wanted ice cream. There's a shop just down the boardwalk from here," he said, grateful that it was on the boardwalk and not directly on the beach. Sand wasn't exactly at the top of his list of favorite things. No, that was Calleigh.

Within moments they'd made it to the shop, and after some severe indecision on Calleigh's part, they were walking lazily along the boardwalk, each with a cone of ice cream. "I can't believe you," Tim said, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation.

"What?" Calleigh asked, bringing her cone of vanilla to her lips.

He stared at her. "Vaniila?" he asked, smirking.

Calleigh stuck out her tongue. "I happen to like vanilla."

"But it's so, well, plain."

"So? I'm a simple girl; maybe I like plain," she replied, grinning.

Tim snorted. "Sure. You just lick at your plain, boring ice cream, and I'll enjoy _real_ ice cream," he said emphatically, lifting his cone of rocky road to his mouth. "Mmm."

Calleigh cringed. "That's disgusting."

"Have you ever tried it?" Tim challenged.

"Yes I have, Tim, and I don't like it."

Tim laughed. "Cal, everybody likes rocky road. You can't not like it. It's like chocolate chip."

"I don't like chocolate chip."

Tim stared at her. "Okay, now that's just weird."

Calleigh grinned smugly. "Or maybe I'm normal, and you're just weird." She winked. "I think more people would agree with me than with you."

He didn't reply; as they walked, the fingers of his free hand had accidentally brushed against hers, sending his mind, his heart racing. It struck him, as they walked together on the boardwalk, eating ice cream, teasing each other.

They _looked_ like a couple.

They _acted_ like a couple.

To the eyes of any stranger, they _were_ a couple.

And it crushed him that they weren't. He wanted to reach out and take her hand. He wanted to rest his hand at the small of her back whenever he wanted. He wanted to spin her in his arms and kiss her until they both fell dizzily to the ground, entangled together.

"Hey, you okay?" Her soft voice filled his ears, forcing him back to the present which, while better than the past, it wasn't as good as he hoped the future could be. Concerned by his lack of response, Calleigh gently called his name again, and if that weren't enough, suddenly her hand was on his arm, and he was fighting not to simply lean over and kiss her.

He swallowed, discreetly regaining his control. "I'm fine," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Why?"

She shrugged, watching him carefully. "You got quiet there for a second. And you look a bit distracted."

"What makes you think that?"

Calleigh chuckled. "Oh, just a little bit of, what was it you called it that day? Casual observation?"

Tim snickered. "You never forget anything, do you?"

"Nope." She grinned, elbowing him playfully. "So don't even think I've forgotten about that dinner bet I won last month, 'cause I haven't."

"Damn," Tim smirked. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that. Isn't it enough that I bought you ice cream?" he teased.

Calleigh snorted. "Please, Tim. It's ice cream." She shrugged nonchalantly. "And besides, you pretty much had to buy it for me. Since, you know, my purse is in my locker at the lab."

"How convenient."

"Isn't it, though?" She flashed him her brilliant smile. Again, her hand just barely brushed against his as they walked, this time sending a tiny shiver down her spine. Shrugging it off, she glanced to the side, up into his still-troubled face. "So talk to Dr. Duquesne," she teased, elbowing him again. "What's on your mind?"

"Dr. Duquesne?" Tim asked with a snort. "Please. What'd you do; get your psychology degree off the Internet?"

"Hey, I could've gone to med school," Calleigh said indignantly. She grinned. "But that's beside the point. All one has to do is watch you to know something's on your mind," she added thoughtfully.

"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because you tend to get this sort of faraway look in your eyes when something's bothering you. I can practically see the wheels turning in your mind. You purse your lips and you tend to tap your fingers on whatever the closest surface is. When it gets bad, you rake your fingers through your hair in frustration." She winked. "You've done three of those things in the past half hour, which proves there's something on your mind."

"Actually, it just proves that you like to watch me." Tim smirked. "Can't blame you, though. See something as good-looking as me, you can't help but stare," he said smugly.

Calleigh stared. "You're unbelievable."

Tim grinned cockily. "Yeah. I know."

Calleigh laughed, playfully swatting his arm. "Seriously though, what's bothering you?" She grinned. "I know I talk too much," she remarked, ignoring the agreeing snicker from Tim, "but I'm a good listener too. I'll try not to interrupt," she added, pulling a small smile from Tim. "What's on your mind?"

_You._ Tim turned his head, looking at her appraisingly. He couldn't give her an answer. If he told the truth, she would know that _she _was what had been plaguing his mind by day and his dreams by night ever since he'd met her at the airport. She would know that her smile, her voice, her laugh; not to mention the intoxicating scent of her perfume - everything about her distracted him, made him inattentive to everything else.

She drove him crazy.

And he kinda liked it.

On the other hand, if he lied about what he was thinking, she would know. She would know he was lying, and he'd have to tell her the truth anyway. And he was certain she wasn't ready to hear the truth. After all, her engagement had only just come to an end. Obviously she needed some time.

So instead, he cleared his throat, challengingly lifting his eyebrow. "Since you seem to be able to read me so well," he began smugly, "why don't you tell me what's on my mind?"

Calleigh blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." He grinned. "Tell me; since you know so much."

Calleigh nodded slowly, watching him intently, her teeth lightly nibbling at her lower lip in that way that always managed to undo Tim. He forced himself to focus on her eyes, on her hair, on anything but her lips.

One day, he knew he was just gonna have to kiss her.

She'd hit the nail on the head earlier when she'd described his actions when there was something on his mind. Now, he hoped to God that she wasn't as good at reading his thoughts as his actions. He breathed a sigh of relief when she began speaking.

"You were a little frustrated with that case earlier," she said pensively, tilting her head. "You're thinking you should get back to the lab and finish it?"

"Nope," he said, relieved. "Not even close." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "In fact, I haven't thought about the case once since we got out of the lab."

Calleigh gave him a cheeky grin. "So I'm doing my job, then."

"What?"

"Distracting you."

_That you are, _he thought. He shook his head, smirking. "Maybe so, but you're still wrong. You don't know me as well as you think you do."

Calleigh narrowed her eyes. "That was a practice guess."

"I bet."

"Don't forget what happened last time you said those words."

He rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I highly doubt you'll let me anytime soon," he said flatly.

"At least not until you hold up your end." She sighed, a small smile on her face. "Okay, I give up. I'll let it go. Maybe I don't know you that well, but I do know that whatever is on your mind is bothering you."

He sighed. "It's not…bothering me, but it is."

"You do know that made no sense, right?"

Tim glanced down, not even trying to retort. "There is something on my mind, and it bothers me, but not in a bad way." He shrugged, knowing he was confusing Calleigh. "I guess I feel better with it being there than I did before it was there."

"What is 'it'?"

"Calleigh, you said you'd let it go."

She grinned apologetically. "Sorry. I'm just curious!"

"I call it 'nosy.'"

"You would."

"Yeah, 'cause it is." He grinned, glancing at her, his eyes drawn to a spot just above her lip. "You've got ice cream above your lip," he said amusedly, gesturing to his own lip. Calleigh's eyes widened, her own fingers coming to her lips. Tim smirked as she rubbed at the wrong spot. "Nuh-uh, other side."

But still, she wasn't getting the stray ice cream above her lip, and Tim grinned, jumping at the chance. "Come here," he said, snickering as he saw her eyes widen. Cupping her chin, he gently trailed his thumb across her upper lip, wiping the tiny bit of ice cream away. His dark eyes locked on her bright ones, and he was mesmerized.

Calleigh shivered; the intensity of his gaze completely unraveling her. She felt his hand still cupping her cheek, and it was a wonder she didn't just melt into his hand. No man had ever held this much power over her before; not Michael, not her first serious boyfriend from the academy, not her first boyfriend who'd introduced her to the wonders of a motorcycle. None of them had been able to do to her in one touch and one intense gaze what Tim Speedle was doing to her now.

And she was still getting to know Tim. If this was how intense it was already, what was it going to be like in a year or two?

She gasped softly, her eyes not once leaving Tim's. It was as though all the magnetic power in the atmosphere had centered between them, drawing them closer and closer, neither of them able to resist it. They stood, mere inches apart, gazing intensely into each other's eyes…

And then simultaneously, both of their phones began to ring, breaking the magic of the moment; breaking the magnetic pull between them and forcing them apart again. Turning away, they each answered their phones; Calleigh sheepishly and Tim irritatedly.

"It's the lab," they both said in unison upon hanging up.

Calleigh gave a small smile. "I guess we have to head back then,"

Tim nodded, letting out a sigh. "I didn't think we'd been gone that long," he remarked, looking at his watch.

"I guess the time just got away from us," Calleigh replied softly. She knew she'd had other things on her mind than the time; that was the least of her worries. She grinned, trying to infuse a bit of the playfulness from before back into the air. "Come on, I'll race you to the bike!" she said, taking off at a run before Tim could even protest.

"Hey!" he called out, starting after her. "You can't have a head start!"

"That's funny, since I just did," she called back, flashing him a smile.

Tim picked up the pace, but still didn't catch up to her until she'd made it to the bike. She grinned triumphantly, watching him catch his breath. "You cheated," he panted.

"Maybe." She winked. "I did what it took to win."

"Yeah well, it wasn't fair." He gave her a cheeky grin, about to put his helmet on. "I think that should make us even," he said, climbing on the Ducati.

"What?" She followed suit, slipping her helmet back on.

"You cheated, so therefore, I don't owe you that dinner anymore."

She giggled, resuming her earlier position on the bike, her body pressed tightly against his back and her arms looped snugly around his waist. "Oh no, you still have to take me to dinner, eventually. I swear I won't let you forget."

"Yeah, I have no doubt of that," Tim replied flatly, though secretly he was looking forward to taking her to dinner. He just hadn't yet because he wanted the time to be right. He wanted it to mean more than just a dinner bet. He wanted it to be more. He smiled, taking his keys, ready to start the bike.

Calleigh leaned forward and rested her chin on his shoulder, leaning her face as close to his ear as she could with their helmets in the way. She grinned playfully and whispered to him; she'd really meant it as an innocent but teasing, friendly comment, but nonetheless, it still sent a lingering shiver down Tim's spine.

"Oh by the way, my car's in the shop, so you're taking me home tonight."

The end

* * *

**This last chapter turned out about ninety percent different than I envisioned; some things didn't fit and had to be pushed back a little ways...so basically what that means is keep an eye out for the sequel. :)**


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